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Elavita
Elavita Elavita is a country within the Nesarian Empire, which is entirely inhabited by Elves. It is one of the two "Elvish countries", with the other being Avamoria. It is the only country in the Empire to not be connected to the mainland Eurasian continent. Its head of state is the King, an elected position. Its state religion is Elveta. Its national animal is the Dolphin. Elavita has two demonyms - Elavitan (or Elavitae), which refers to the state, and High Elvish, which refers to the people. Elavita has approximately 2,000,000 inhabitants, making it the 7th most populous country in the Empire. The country has no Cratate. Although there is no archaeological evidence to confirm the theory, it is widely thought that the High Elves colonised Elavita around 1500BC following the Annihilation that marked the end of the Age of Titans, migrating away from their previous homeland on the shores of Avamoria which had been totally destroyed by the Annihilation. However, Elvish settlements had existed on the islands before, living in relative harmony with the local Hegari. Various city-states emerged out of this colonisation effort, who continuously fought each other for dominance until Queen Eliasa Iivitas, the ruler of Elviae, united the archipelago in approximately 400BC. The terrain of Elavita renders farming impossible, so all the food is fished from the surrounding waters or imported. This reliance on the sea for food meant that Elavita historically developed a powerful navy, although in modern times the Imperial Navy is mostly made up of Humans. The army of Elavita has traditionally been small but extraordinarily skilled, well-trained and disciplined, which came to a height in the gunpowder period, especially the Nesarian Civil War. High Elvish is spoken as the primary language, however like with all countries in the Empire, Nesarian is the most frequently learned second language and is used as a lingua franca. Name Elavita is known as Elfland in many foreign countries, especially those in Western Europe and the Americas, despite Elavita not meaning Elfland - Elfland in High Elvish would be Elfaria. The name Elfland is aggravating to many Avamorians (and the few remaining Eshérian Elves) as it implies that the country is the only home of Elves, or somehow superior to the other Elves, and the concept of Elfaria is advocated by High Elvish ultranationalists who want to subjugate all other Elvish peoples. In the native High Elvish tongue, Elavita is known as Elafita, but it is usually rendered Elavita everywhere else. Likewise, the names of both places and dynasties within Elavita usually have any "F"s converted to "V"s when referred to by Avamorians and Nesarians, such as the noble House of Iifitas which is known as the House of Yivitas in Nesarian and Iivitas in Avamorian. The exact etymology of Elavita (or, more accurately, Elafita) is unknown, but it is likely a compounded form of a longer name. "Elafi" is presumably a corrupted form of "Elfa", the word for Elf, and the "-a" at the end is likely derived from "aria", meaning "land". Geography Elavita is made up of an archipelago of many islands, seven of which are fairly large and contain cities, although there are approximately 150 much smaller islands. The largest island, Elfiae, also contains the largest (and currently capital) city. The land is highly urbanised and almost every inch of land is covered in urban buildings. Since the 1970s, propositions have been made to reclaim the land around the islands to expand the territory of Elavita, but this has been met with significant opposition from the traditionally environmentalist Elves. There are very significant marble deposits in Elavita (and the nearby Avamorian coast) which means most of the buildings in Elavita are made of marble to some degree. All buildings are required to follow an "Elvish aesthetic", which consists of circular towers with a rounded peak (which is often made of glass), coloured white and gold, and normally with a turquoise or blue patttern spiralling up the whole structure. High Elves consider architecture and engineering to be arts rather than sciences, and this shows in their beautiful cities. Monarchy The King is elected from eight candidates put up by the seven noble houses of the seven islands of Elavita. The King acts as a constitutional monarch, bound by a loosely defined constitution and subject to the law. All citizens over the age of 25 who own land can vote for the King, and an election is held when the King dies or abdicates. The King designates a Regent who rules in the temporary space between his death and the next election. If the Regent is unable to rule through sickness, injury or death, the Regency passes to the King's spouse - or, if they are not available, the King's eldest heir. Although the King possesses authority over all the islands, and they have the power to intervene however they wish in the goings-on of their subordinates, they are traditionally expected to let the other islands rule themselves. When they are not Kings, the rulers of the dynasties are referred to as Princes. This system is largely the same as it has been for centuries, although the vote was expanded to all landowners over 25 with the Bloodless Revolution of 1980; previously it had been a privilege restricted to the nobility. The Elvish Assembly is an advisory body of appointed members and religious officials. It also serves as a source for ministers which the King can create his cabinet with. Only Elves can be part of the Elvish Assembly. The seven noble families are, in no particular order: * Iifitas (Isle of Elfiae) * Szamora (Isle of Sesora) * Rejiana (Isle of Denara) * Lodana (Isle of Alafia) * Femora (Isle of Fesora) * Occenora (Isle of Helara) * Eliana (Isle of Ellenaria) The House of Iifitas is thought to be the oldest, and the island it rules - Elfiae - was the first of the archipelago to be colonised. This combined with Elfiae's status as the wealthiest and most populous island, and its historical status of leadership due to the founder of Elavita (Queen Eliasa) hailing from the House of Iifitas, has given the House of Iifitas a particular position of prominence, and it has been elected to rule the most number of times. The island of the noble family that has been elected becomes the capital island of Elavita until the next election. Flag The flag of Elavita is a gold sun with a purple border surrounded by a gold laurel wreath which also has a purple border. The background is alernating stripes of light blue and very light yellow. * The sun represents King Yakela, leader of the Gods. The sun is his symbol. * The laurel wreath represents victory, primacy and power, and the idea that Elavita is the ancestral home of the Elves. * The light blue stripes represent the waters of the Elvish Sea that surround Elavita. * The very light yellow stripes represent the sandy beaches of the various islands that make up Elavita. * The number of stripes (eight) represents the seven major islands of the archipelago and the one state that unites them.